Admiral Philip Davidson warned the US was losing its military edge to China in the Pacific and gave a stark assessment that he believed an invasion of Taiwan by Beijing could be imminent.
"I worry that they're (China) accelerating their ambitions to supplant the United States and our leadership role in the rules-based international order... by 2050," Davidson said.
"Taiwan is clearly one of their ambitions before that. And I think the threat is manifest during this decade, in fact, in the next six years," he added.
Taiwan lives under constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which views the island as part of its territory awaiting to be reunified, by force if necessary.
Beijing has stepped up military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan since the election of President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, who views the island as "already independent" and not part of its "one China".
Meanwhile, a US warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait. The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS John Finn conducted a routine transit through the waterway separating the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
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